Tilly smiled as her gaze inadvertently moved around the bar. “You’re sure he’s not coming here tonight?”
“I have it under good authority that Kayden is looking after Avery tonight, and I’m sure even after Eastern gets home, Kayden will stay and have a drink with his brother.”
She should be happy about that, right? Because there was no way she wanted to see him. Not after they’d ended things and she’d told him she knew he’d never trust her.
“So…” Harper started slowly, “is he still coming into your office every day?”
“Every. Day. Multiple times a day. About tour schedules and rosters and progress on the skywalk.” She sipped her cocktail, slowly getting used to the rum. “I tell myself I hate it, but every time I see him, a small part of me wants to just say to hell with everything and fall into his arms. Is that sad?”
Harper’s features softened. “Definitely not sad. You care about him. Those feelings don’t just go away because he hurt you.”
“Feelings suck.”
“I’m interested to see how hard he intends to work to get you back.”
She gulped down some more Mai Tai. She needed a change in subject. “You still haven’t told me what I owe you for arranging the change of locks on my house.”
Cody and Harper had offered to organize everything, and even though she’d initially said no, they’d pushed, and she’d caved. Thank God she had, because not only had she not wanted to return to the house with her father still having access, but she wasn’t even sure the local locksmith would do the job for her.
Harper cringed. “About that…”
Oh, Jesus, what now?
“Kayden did everything,” Harper rushed out.
“What?”
“Cody was going to do it all and the morning he went over there, Kayden called him and got out of him what he was doing. Kayden just took over after that. He put the best locks on every door and window and refused the payment Cody and I offered.”
“So now I owe Kayden money and a thank-you?”
“I doubt he’ll accept money, and after what he did, the thank-you is probably optional.”
She barely tasted the next gulp of Mai Tai. She was well aware that she was drinking the thing far too quickly now but couldn’t seem to care. “This is not good.”
“I thought it was kind of sweet,” Harper said quietly.
Yeah, it was. That was the problem. How was she supposed to get over the guy when he did things like that?
“You know,” Harper started, “Cody said he’s never seen his brother like this before.”
“Like what?”
“Lovesick and lost.”
Tilly gave her friend a pointed look. “He did not say that.”
“He absolutely did.”
Kaydenhadbeen different over the last week. Every time he’d spoken to her, his voice had been soft and there’d been this kind of yearning in his eyes. There’d also been accidental touches here and there, all so incredibly gentle.
But he hadn’t brought up forgiveness or getting back together again. Because he was giving her space?
She shook her head. “Let’s talk about something else. Tell me about how you and Cody are doing.”
Harper’s eyes lit up, and when she talked about her relationship with Cody and the home they’d moved into together, it was like every bit of stress on her face eased.
Harper was happy. Good. She deserved to be happy after everything she’d been through.
